5.2. Effect of Food Ingredients on the Production of Bongkrekic Acid
In the same study
[29[40][41],
64], the authors also evaluated the anti-BKA production activities of four natural spices: garlic powder, onion power, capsicum power, and turmeric power. The study found that adding 0.6% garlic powder, 0.6% onion powder, 0.8% capsicum powder, and 0.6% turmeric powder to coconut culture medium could inhibit the formation of BKA when the initial populations of
B. gladioli pv.
cocovenenans were low (between 3.64 and 5.27 log CFU/mL). However, when the initial populations of
B. gladioli pv.
cocovenenans were high (above 7.32 log CFU/mL), adding up to 2% of any these spice supplements did not completely inhibit the BKA production.
5.3. Bongkrekic Acid Production under Co-Culture Conditions
Beneficial and non-pathogenic microorganisms play a vital role in preventing the development of foodborne pathogens and safeguarding food safety
[65][42]. For instance, by occupying the same ecological niches with harmful microorganisms, lactic acid bacteria, such as
Lactobacillus spp. and
Pediococcus spp., can compete for nutrients and produce antimicrobial substances that inhibit the growth and activity of foodborne pathogens
[66][43]. Although present naturally in a diverse range of food commodities, these microbes can also be deliberately introduced or promoted under preferable culture conditions to achieve their dominance in respective food matrices. Moreover, the growth kinetics and antagonistic effects between these microbes and foodborne pathogens, e.g.,
Salmonella spp.,
Campylobacter jejuni,
Yersinia enterocolitica, pathogenic
Escherichia coli,
Shigella spp.,
Vibrio spp., and others, have been previously depicted by employing co-culture experiments
[67][44]. However, co-culture studies regarding
B. gladioli pv.
cocovenenans and BKA production have been rare, considering that the overwhelming majority of BKA outbreaks that occurred in food matrices consist of complex microbial communities. In addition to examining other common factors, the previous study also investigated the impact of
Rhizopus oligosporus, the fungus traditionally used for fermenting tempe bongkrèk, on the growth of
B. gladioli pv.
cocovenenans and the production of BKA under co-culture conditions
[29][40].
6. Detection and Analytical Advancements
6.1. Detections of Bongkrekic Acid
From the very beginning, the identification and validation of BKA was conducted using paper chromatography methods, which can accurately detect a relatively pure form of BKA at levels as low as 0.05 μg
[37,50,71][11][25][45]. Later, with technological advancements, more advanced analytical methods such as HPLC and mass spectrometry (MS) have become available. These instrumental techniques offer enhanced accuracy and sensitivity when compared to paper chromatography, allowing for more efficient and dependable analysis of BKA in both pure formation and in food matrices
[33,72][46][47]. The use of the respective methods has facilitated the detection of trace amounts of BKA in complex food matrices, enabling the conduction of highly sophisticated scientific research and reliable epidemiological analyses. With the help of these studies, researchers have acquired a better understanding of BKA in food products
[3].
To address the limitations posed by instrumental methods, researchers have turned to alternative techniques that offer greater simplicity, are user-friendly, and are more compatible for in situ food analysis. One major category of these methods is immunoassays, which can quantify BKA based on developed antibodies in theory. The respective immunoassays, such as colloidal gold-based immunochromato-graphic assay (GICA) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), have been developed and validated by few Chinese institutions for rapid BKA detection in food products and other types of samples
[6,73][6][48]. These methods rely on the robustness of the antibody–antigen reaction to enable efficient and reliable detection of BKA, thus providing a valuable tool for food safety monitoring and quality control.
6.2. Detections of Burkholderia gladioli pathovar cocovenenans and Gene
Culture-based analytical methods are crucial for ensuring the accuracy and reliability of the microbial research findings since the culturability of microbes is important to both scientific discovery and prolonged laboratory microbial preservation. Therefore, conventional microbiological analytical approaches, including non-selective medium enrichment, subculturing on differential media, colony observation, microscopic morphology, biochemical tests, gram staining, and toxicity evaluation, have been broadly adopted by research on
B. gladioli pv.
cocovenenans [6]. The respective analytical protocols were both documented by scientific studies and standardized by government authorities, such as the National Standard of the People’s Republic of China (GB 4789.29–2020)
[6,74][6][49]. It Is a justifiable inference that these protocols are labor-intensive, and improvements in these assays could result in substantial benefits in respective studies and regulatory tests.
Considering the challenges involved in using traditional culture-based assays, exploring alternative approaches for detecting the presence of
B. gladioli pv.
cocovenenans could be advantageous. The utilization of novel nucleic-acid-based techniques presents a promising alternative, as they are capable of providing enhanced accuracy and sensitivity in comparison with conventional methods. Therefore, these techniques could be considered as a viable option to identify the presence of
B. gladioli pv.
cocovenenans [75,76][50][51].
7. Conclusions
In summary, the contamination of
B. gladioli pv.
cocovenenans, leading to the development of bongkrekic acid (BKA) poisoning, has emerged as a critical and lethal food safety concern with dire consequences, posing significant challenges to public health. The incidence of BKA poisoning in recent years has ignited a pursuit for a more profound comprehension of the pathogenicity of
B. gladioli pv.
cocovenenans and the underlying biochemical mechanisms for BKA synthesis. Specifically, characterization of
B. gladioli pv.
cocovenenans and the identification of the
bon gene cluster have provided an essential foundation for developing targeted interventions to prevent and control BKA accumulation, while high-throughput sequencing and in silico genomic comparisons have unveiled the origin and global prevalence of this pathogen, highlighting this foodborne disease as a significant and ascending threat. Although limited, previous research based on culturing techniques has provided evidence that
B. gladioli pv.
cocovenenans is capable of producing BKA in different environments, which highlights the possible food safety hazards associated with BKA poisoning. Due to the scarcity of information regarding the impact of culture conditions such as pH, salt content, antimicrobial agents, and coexisting microorganisms on BKA reduction, it is crucial to enhance our understanding of inhibiting BKA production and promote respective applications to ensure food safety. Advancements in the detection methods of both BKA and
B. gladioli pv.
cocovenenans hold promise for mitigating the impact of this foodborne disease. Overall, it is imperative to undertake future research initiatives on BKA and
B. gladioli pv.
cocovenenans. Such research endeavors hold significant potential in controlling the threat posed by this formidable adversary to public health.